Brake lever construction



F. B WHITE Nov. 10, 1931,

BRAKE LEVER CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet //We1772 rv f7 17% 5 Wife Nov. 10, 1931. B. vy n- 1,831,335

BRAKE LEVER CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedNov. 10, 193i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK B. WHITE, OF LA. JOLLA,CALIFORNIA, ASSIGN'OR TO ROBURKE, WHITE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF SANDIEGO,

CALIFORNIA, A. PARTNERSHIP COMPOSED OF REEVES L. IRDWE, OF SAN DIEGO,CALIFORNIA, AND FRANK B. WHITE AND J'. MCDONALD BURKE, BOTH OF LA.JOLLA, CALIFORNIA BRAKE LEVER oolvsrnuc'rron Application filed September17, 1928. SerialNo. 306,522.

This invention relates to a lever construction, being particularlyuseful in levers used on motor vehicles for setting the emergency brake,though not in any sense limited to the one use named. It is a primaryobject and purpose of the invention to make a lever of this kind andequip it with means whereby it may be moved in one direction freely butis automatically stopped from movement in the opposite direction, thisbeing accomplished without the use of the usual ratchet and pawl devicesalmost universally used at present. A further object of the invention isto provide the lever with automatically operating securing means forholding the lever in any position to which it may be moved, thepositions which the lever may occupy being indefinite in number and notrestricted to a certain definite number dependent upon the number ofratchet teeth which a ratchet may have with the impossibility of thelever occupying positions between those prescribed by consecutive teethof the ratchet. A still further object of the invention is to constructa lever of this character which is noiseless in operation, and to equipit with means for releasing the lever for movement in the direction thatit is normally stopped from movement, said releasing means being asfreely and easily operated when the lever is drawn to the extreme of itsmovement and has heavy strain thereon as it is when the strain is littleor nothing. I

For an understanding of the invention by means of which these ends.together with many others not enumerated at this point, are attained,reference may be had to the following description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away and shown in section,illustrating one form of construction of the lever.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, enlarged, of the grippingportion of the lever, parts being broken awav to better show theconstruction and operation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section thru the lever andassociated parts. the sect-ion being taken in front of the grippingroller and looking back toward the same. 9 passing through the plate.The upper side Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation and partialsection of a modified form of construction embodying the invention.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse'section substantially on the plane ofline 55, of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, of a still further modified form ofconstruction embodying the invention, and

Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 5, taken on the plane of line 7-7,of Fig. 6.

Like, reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof the drawings.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, a transmission case 1 has an areshaped sector 2, of metal secured thereto by bolts or set screws 3, alink 4 being attached to the other end of the sector at one end andhaving connection to the transmission case at its lower end serving tohold the sector in rigid relation to its support, the transmission case.A lever 5 is pivotally mounted between its ends on a stud 6 projectingfrom the cover of the transmission case 1, the lever at its lower endhaving a rod 7 connected thereto which leads to the rear and isoperatively connected with the brake bands of the motor vehicle withwhich the transmission and lever is used.

This is a common and well known method of mounting emergency brakelevers, and the brakes are tightened and held against the brake drums bydrawing the upper end of the 3 lever to the rear, the usual lever havinga permanently secured to the lever by screw 9 and rivet 10. It isevident that this block may be cast integral with the lever quite aswell as in effect it is integral therewith through the permanentconnection made. A plate 11 of relatively thin metal ,is placedalongside of the side of the block farthest from the lever and issecured thereto, screw of the block is cut with a downward and forwardincline, as indicated at 12, and at its front upper portion is providedwith an upwardly extending abutment 13, having a recess in its rear sideto make a seat for one end of a coiled spring 15, the opposite end ofwhich bears against a roller 16 located between the inclined upper side12 of theblock and the curved under side of section 2. The spring undercompression has a normal tendency to force roller 16 up the incline 12and tends to wedge the roller between said incline and the under side ofthe sector. Plate 11 serves as a means to prevent endwise movement ofthe roller and loss thereof, movement 'in the opposite direction beingstopped by the lever as shown.

A bell crank lever having a horizontal arm 17 and a vertical arm 18 ispivotally mounted at 19 on the block 8. The arm 18 at its upper end isbent to extend over the block,

lying between the same and the under side of the sector, and back of theroller 16 as indicated at 20. The arm 17 at its free end is turnedoutwardly to make an ear 21 to which the lower end of an operating rod22 is connected. Rod 22 extends upwardly alongside of the upper portionof lever 5 and at its upper end passes through a laterally projectingportion 5a thereof, being equipped at its upper end with a button 23which partially enters a recess made in the upper end of the lever. Acoiled compression spring 24 is seated in the recess between the bottomthereof and the lower end of the button 23 and exerts force to elevatethe rod 22 and move part 20 of arm 18 away from the roller 16.

On rearward movement, of the upper end of lever 5, roller 16 has atendency to ride down the incline 12 and the lever is freely movable tothe rear. The movement is unaccompanied by noise of any description, ascontrasted to the passage of the usual pawl over the teeth of a ratchet.The spring 15 keeps the roller in upper position, however, andimmediately that the lever is released and tends to return in a forwarddirection, due to the pull exerted on the lower end thereof by rod 7connected with the brakes, roller 16 wedges between the block 8 andsector 2 and positively stops return movement. If it is desired torelease the lever, button 23 is depressed, thereby moving part 20against the roller to move the roller forward and release the lever fromthe sector, whereupon the lever may be moved in a forward direction aslong as the button is held depressed.

The construction described is simple but particularly effective in use.The lever may be drawn back to the desired position for setting thebrakes and will remain in such position. There is no necessity foreither stopping at one notch in the sector where the brakes are nottight enough to be effective, or for exerting very heavy force on thelever strength on the part ofthe operator as when the brakes are setwith the ratchet and pawl construction ordinarily used. Absolutesecurity against connection is had. The roller is hardened to be able towithstand all strains brought against it and the sector is widened toafford the necessary bearing surface therefor.

In Figs. 4-. and 5 a modification in structure is shown, the sectorbeing slotted lengthwise to make two spaced apart portions 2a and thelever enlarged and provided with an opening therethrough through whichthe sector passes. This enlargement is indicated at 25 and the openingtherethrough has an underside 12a inclined upwardly and to the rear onwhich the roller 16 is placed, spring 15 acting on the roller bearing atits outer end against a plate, 26 fastened to the front sideof thelever. A finger 27 having an inclined lower end 27a is secured to thelower end of the push rod 22 and is guided between the rear side of theenlargement 25 of the lever and a second plate 28 fastened to the rearside of the enlar ement as shown. The lower inclined end 0 finger 27comes back offthe roller 16 and on downward movement slot between thetwo parts 2a of the sector permits the free passage of the finger in themovement of the lever from front to rear and return.

In Figs. 6 and 7, a still further modification is shown, and one whichfor some reasons is preferred. The lever 5 is enlarged as before thoughdifferently formed as indicated at 29 and the sector 2, not slotted,passes therethrough. The upper -side of the opening is formed with adownward and rearward incline and the roller 16 is mounted on the upperside of thesector and spring 15 disposed between the roller and plate26a attached to the lever above the sector. The wedgin action due to thespring and the incline 12 is identical with that in the previously described constructions. On the lower end of push rod 22 a U-shapedstirrup 30 is secured having depending legs 31, the lower ends of whichare cut on an incline, as indicated at 31a, and comin directly back ofthe roller, being held against the enlarged portion 29 of the lever byplate 32 as shown. This construction works for the disengagement of theroller from-wedging position the same as that shown in Figs. 4: and 5,but is more satisfactory in that a wider bearing on the roller may behad, furthermore the sector need not be slotted.

The constructions described are practical and efficient and work topositively hold the lever in any position to which it may be moved inone direction. The release for movement in the opposite direction issure and may beeasily Operated. Various other modified forms ofconstruction for embodying the invention may be constructed, and I,accordingly, do not consider my invention as limited to specificconstructions shown, but desire that the invention be considered tocomprehend any and all forms of structure which'come within the scope ofthe appended claims defining the invention.

I. claim:

1.' In a brake lever construction, a pivoted lever having an openingspaced from the pivot and extending in a plane at right angles to theaxis of the pivot, a quadrant 2O concentric with said pivot andextending through said opening in the lever and having one of its curvedsides bearing against a side of said opening, a roller located in saidopening and interposed between the opposite curved side of said quadrantand the opposite side of said opening, said opposite side of saidopening being inclined relative to the curved surface of the quadrant, aplate closing each side of said opening, a spring interposed betweensaid roller and one of said plates, said spring tending to thrust theroller into pinching engagement between the quadrant and the respectiveSide of said opening, a wedge extending into said open- 5 ing andengaging one of said plates, and

means mounted on the lever for moving said wedge longitudinally toengage said roller and move it a ainst action of said spring.

2, In a bra e lever construction, a pivoted lever having an .opningspaced from the pivot and extending in a plane at right angles to theaxis of the pivot, a quadrant concentric with said pivot and extendingthrough said opening in the lever and having its outer or far side, withreference to. the axis of the lever, bearing against a side of saidopening, said quadrant consisting of two concentric member spacedaxially to form a long slot therebetween, said opening in the leverbeing enlarged at its inner side and having an inclined wall juxtaposedto the curved face of the quadrant, a roller between the quadrant faceand the inclined wall, spring means to normally wedge the'rollertherebetween, a plate fixed alongside of the lever and wedge meansextending between the plate and the lever and also through the slot,said wedge means being adapted to engage the roller to retract itagainst the action of said spring means wheneb y the-lever may be movedalong the quadrant.

3. A lever construction comprising a pivotally mounted/lever, a quadrantconcentric about the axis of the lever, said lever hav- 5 ing ailopening adapted to receive the quadrant, the side of the opening closestthe axis of the lever being curved to fit snugly adjacent the quadrantand the opposed side of the opening being inclined relative to the outerface of the quadrant, a roller located between said inclined side of theopening and the outer face of the quadrant, a plate closing the largerend of said opening in the lever, a spring interposed between said plateand the roller, another plate fixed to the lever to close the smallerend of said opening, said lever being cut away to form two radial slotsadjacent the last mentioned plate, a push rod having two spaced legsadapted to be slidably received in said slots, said legs having taperedends adapted to engage against the roller to push it against the tensionof the spring upon downward movement of the push rod.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature. 85

FRANK B. ll'llE.

